1995 Holden Commodore VS 3.8 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Faults:

Suspension system failed check up, most smaller parts have been replaced, Shocks and springs were fine though.

Ride is no longer quite as smooth or comfortable.

General Comments:

This car has been very reliable, compared to my last one. I'm very happy with the purchase, got it at a bargain price and haven't always been dipping into my wallet to keep it on the road. It is serviced regularly. Does have quite a lot of power for a standard model. I have added some extra feature, rear spoiler, 15" alloys, performace air filter, $1500 stereo system, making it even more enjoyable to drive.

3rd Nov 2002, 05:08

23rd Apr 2003, 09:11

I have had similar problems with my VS, I have a VS Berlina (V6). It's a nice car and all (looks are deceiving), but it has way too many problems. You see I had a VL Berlina from brand-new for 12 years! And it was stolen and damaged very badly. Because of this we decided to look for another car. We shopped around and finally found a nice one. A Burgundy colour VS Berlina. Beautiful inside and out. Everything was working perfectly.

This was all until a week later, the air-con needed to be re-gassed (not covered under warranty). 2 days after that the front passenger window would not go down or up and the drivers window would go down, but wouldn't go up (and it started raining!). I was really disappointed with this. 6 months down the track (after the 3 month car-yard warranty), the radiator got really really hot, and I had to get it replaced. 2 months later, the car will not reverse out of my drive way! (help). I had to get RAA to come and get it : (It was the gearbox, I got a whole new gearbox installed, ($1800).

That's all the major problems under 1 year of owning the car!

Eventually I found that the car sought of lost the comfort it used to have in the seats. My children first noticed this. Then there is a vehicle re-call 3 months later.

There was also problems with the CLIMATE CONTROL LED DISPLAY (replacement $380), and the Electric Mirrors are another useless thing they put in the car.

In future I think Holden should add Time and Quality into there cars.

Because of this experience I have had, I will NEVER buy a Holden again. And I do not recommend them to anyone.

Summary:

Faults:

On acceleration when cold transmission makes a chuffing or whooshing sound, and also does some strange shift changes when going around corners. The holden dealer said this is normal! (are they right?)

Another problem is when going up a hill under acceleration with air conditioner on, and air being directed to face, for no reason the air will change direction from the face to the floor, again the dealer is stumped!!

The car has used 1.5 litres of oil since its last service 5 months ago, the dealer said it might be valve stem seals. And it seems to be going through coolant, but no leaks are evident!!

Sometimes the car won't turn over after a long drive, I have purchased a new key remote (recommended by the dealer) but this has made no difference.

General Comments:

Other than these problems it is a great car to drive. Premium unleaded petrol seems to help in the acceleration department.